Eastern Oregon - Maple Syrup Farms.org

Looking for local maple syrup orchards and sugarworks in Eastern Oregon?  There are also listings for every other state, tours, festivals, syrup making demonstrations, history, facts, related events and fun!" Scroll down this page and you will see the aall of thoses in Eastern Oregon, sorted by county. ALWAYS call before you go to confirm the info, they don't always report changes to me!

And if you know of one I missed and want to add it or correct the information, please let me know!  

Updates for October 2024

October - The new sapping season starts in late winter; typically from mid-March to mid-April in most maple-syrup producing areas, when temperatures are below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. Tours usually begin in early Spring! That's a great time to visit a maple sugar orchard or sugarworks and see a sugaring demonstration; watch them make maple syrup!

Where are Maple Syrup farms/orchards/sugarworks, etc.? Well, they're not in Hawaii or Florida, for sure. They are concentrated in the northeast and upper midwest in the US and the eastern half of Canada, even though maple trees do grow in the northwest. That's why the areas below (in states outside of the Northeast and Midwest) have no listings! Although, there is research to develop trees that can produce sap/syrup in warmed climates.

Maple Syrup listings, by county

There are NO commercial maple syrup farms, orchards, plantations or sugarworks in Eastern Oregon. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is also known as the hard maple, rock maple, sweet maple and black maple. Sugar Maple trees are native to the Great Lakes area of North America and north into southern Canada. Sugar maples grow well in the northwest of the U.S. as well as western provinces of Canada, but at present, there are no commercial maple syrup operations in those areas, save one in Washington State.

BUT there is some hobbyist production:

• The Oregon Maple Project - The Oregon Maple Project is an educational nonprofit that engages community members in local production of Bigleaf Maple syrup
  Oregon Maple Project, Colton, Oregon. Email: info@oregonmapleproject.org. The Oregon Maple Project offers seasonal workshops to introduce community members to the history, science, and best practices of Pacific Northwest maple sugaring. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors to join us for a tour of our sugaring operation at Camp Colton. Learn how to tap your own maple trees and transform sap to syrup.  Check back in early fall on their website for the next season's schedule. In the meantime, come learn with us through Wildcraft Studio or the Bigleaf Maple Festival. 
  

And a maple syrup festival

The Oregon Bigleaf Maple Festival will be held May 13, 2023 at the beautiful Oregon 4-H Center in the West Salem hills. Ticket information is on their website.

More info

Bigleaf Maple Sugaring - Acer macrophyllum or Oregon Maple. There are only three varieties of maple trees that produce sugary sap are native to Northwest: the Bigleaf Maple, the Douglas Maple, and the Vine Maple. Bigleaf sap (with 1-2% sugar) is not as sweet as Sugar Maple sap (2-5% sugar). It takes about 40 gallons of Sugar Maple sap to make one gallon of syrup. In Bigleaf Maple sugaring, around 80 gallons of sap are needed to produce a gallon of syrup. Bigleaf syrup, boiled longer and tasting stronger, tends to be rich and dark, with tinges of caramel, corn, and molasses flavors. The sugaring season for Bigleaf syrup is a long one, beginning as early as November and lasting until March.

 

The sugar maple tree will still grow further south, but would not produce enough sap to map maple syrup production commercially feasible. But the Sugar Maple does make an excellent ornamental tree, since the sugars in the sap help to produces ;leaves that make beautiful Fall colors each Autumn. And the wood from sugar maple is very hard which makes it an excellent choice for hardwood flooring, paneling, furniture, kitchen butcher blocks and even some musical musical instruments.

So, while you won't find a maple syrup farm in ; you can enjoy the beauty of maple trees each Autumn.

And if you are looking for local maple syrup, you might want local honey! Unlike maple syrup, it has health benefits, such as helping with allergies. There are many Apiaries, local honey beekeepers producing local honey in Eastern Oregon. See LocalHoneySources.org for one near you!

Recommended recipes for maple syrup and maple sugar

Maple syrup pairs especially well with:

• Maple Syrup cinnamon buns
• Maple Syrup Ice cream (gel-canister maker)
• Maple Syrup Ice Cream (maker that uses ice and salt)
• Pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin with maple syrup! (wonderful!)